AU: Naomi the Ghost
by theriversongwho
Summary: Dean and Cas are best friends. One day, after Dean has an argument with John, he and Cas ditch school. It begins to rain heavily so they seek shelter in an abandoned house. They're not alone in there.


"Why can't I join the debate team Dad?" Sam demanded, his nostrils flaring.

"Because I fucking said so you little shit!" John spat, grabbing Sam's arm tightly.

"Let me go!" Sam screamed. He could smell the alcohol on John's breath, and knew he was in for a good beating.

"Let him go!" Dean growled menacingly.

"Fuck off Dean, he's my son, not yours." John pushed Sam into the wall and slapped him. "As for you, learn to respect me. One day, Dean won't be around to protect you, and you'll get what you deserve." John raised his hand to hit Sam, but Dean walked up to him and grabbed his arm.

"Don't. You. Dare. Fucking. Hit. Him. Ever. Again." Dean was so enraged that he didn't feel the blow to his face. John hit Dean repeatedly, each blow harder than the last. Sam watched helplessly.

"Sammy, go. You're gonna be late for school," Dean commanded, wincing in pain. He could fight back if he wanted to, but he knew that would only make things worse so he just took it quietly.

"But Dean-" Sam protested.

"Go!" Dean grunted, and Sam grabbed his backpack and ran out of his house.

John beat Dean until his arms grew tired. He then proceeded to get up and kick Dean a few times. "I hope you've learned your lesson. Now get the fuck out of my sight."

Dean got up slowly, all of his body in immense pain. He should be used to the pain by now, it had been going on since he was four, but it seemed that as John grew older, he got stronger and angrier.

Dean limped out of the house. He was supposed to meet his best friend at school, but was in no mood to answer teachers' questions about the bruises on his face. He couldn't just ditch his friend though, and seeing him always made Dean happy._ I'll just stop by the school to tell him that I'm going to ditch today. Maybe seeing him will make this day more bearable._ Dean sighed and started walking to school, knowing that there was a hard day in store for him.

Castiel sat up on the wall, reading _The Great Gatsby_. He checked his watch and realized the bell would ring in five minutes. _I'll just wait until the bell rings, and if he doesn't show up, I'll leave. _

The day was dark and windy, so Cas pulled his dad's old trench coat tightly around himself. He still hadn't grown into it, but that didn't stop him from wearing it day and night.

Just as the bell rang, Cas saw Dean standing a few feet away. He looked terrible. His face was bloody and bruised, and he had a black eye. Dean motioned for Cas to come, so Cas jumped down and jogged up to Dean.

"Hello Dean. You don't looks so good," Cas greeted.

"Thanks Cas. I just came to tell you that I'm ditching today. I'm not in the mood for this crap," Dean motioned to the people around him, and started walking away from it all.

"Dean, wait," Cas called out, jogging to catch up to him. "Wait here for me while I go put my stuff in my locker and I'll come with you."

Dean looked surprised but nodded in agreement and leaned against a tree. He watched as Cas ran off. He didn't know how it happened, or when, but he'd fallen for his best friend.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Cas asked, walking alongside Dean. They'd been walking in silence for half an hour. It's wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but Cas could tell that something was bothering Dean. He knew Dean didn't like talking about his feelings, and he had a hard time trusting people, but he also knew that their friendship was so strong that he could get away with asking Dean to talk about things that were bothering him.

Dean sighed and kicked a rock. "My dad beat the crap out of me for defending Sammy. I had to skip school to avoid the teachers finding out and calling the cops, and now we're here, walking aimlessly." He shrugged.

Cas could see right through Dean's act. "Come on Dean, I know something's bothering you. I've known you since preschool, you can tell me anything you know. I tell you everything." He half-smiled at Dean and passed him a candy bar.

Dean shook his head. "No thanks man, I'm not hungry."

Now Cas knew something was definitely wrong. Dean was always hungry. "Are you in pain Dean?" Cas was worried.

Dean looked away, and Cas could see his whole body trembling. "I'm just so angry Cas. I'm tired of the same crap over and over. I'm 17 for fuck's sake. I shouldn't have to protect my little brother from my dad. I shouldn't have to be working two jobs AND going to school to support my dad's alcohol addiction. Then he has the audacity to beat the crap out of me? What the actual fuck?" Dean clenched his fists, his voice shaking.

Cas put his arm around Dean's shoulder, and they continued to walk in complete silence, except for their footsteps and the occasional sound of Dean crying.

After a few minutes of silence, Dean finally spoke again. "I hate this. I cry when I'm angry, and I hate it. It makes me feel so weak and stupid. " He wiped his eyes with his coat sleeve. "Sometimes I think he blames us for my mom's death. Sometimes he's really nice to us, at least to Sammy, but he's civil with me, and it makes me feel sorry for him, but then he drinks and starts beating me, or calling me names, and it makes me hate him. I'm strong enough to fight back, but I never do, because Mom loved him, and I think that if she were watching us, she wouldn't want me to hit him. So I take it, and I make up excuses for the bruises, and I keep helping him by hiding it and giving him money for the booze."

Dean turned to look at Cas, and Cas could see the immense pain Dean was in. Cas hugged Dean tightly, wishing with all of his heart that they could just run away this very second and never come back.

A few hours later, they stopped at a diner and ate some lunch. Cas paid while Dean cleaned himself up in the restroom. He looked like he'd been hit by a truck, but at least he'd gotten all the blood off.

"Do you ever think about running away and starting all over?" Dean stared at the sky thoughtfully.

"All the time," Cas responded. "I wish it were that easy, but then I think of Samandriel, and leaving him at Gabriel and Balthazar's mercy, and I know I can't leave him."

"I think it would be easier for you though, cause he's got Anna to look out for him." Dean pointed out.

"I guess so, but Anna works a lot of the time, and Samandriel is so young. It would be easier for you because Sam is older. Pretty soon, he'll be old enough to look out for himself. That, or you could run away and take him with you. He's 13, and Samandriel is 4. It would be way easier for you to run away with another teenager than me with a toddler. People would probably think I stole him." Cas explained.

Dean nodded, although he'd stopped listening. _It would be way easier for you to run away with another teenager. _That simple sentence kept repeating in his head, and it made his heart beat faster. He wished they could just run away together. He loved Cas, but Cas didn't love him, at least not like that, and that broke Dean's heart.

It was mid-afternoon when it began to rain. It started off as a drizzle, but soon turned into a storm.

"Shit, we need to find somewhere to wait until the storm passes," Dean proclaimed.

Cas took off his trench coat and used it to cover both of their heads as they jogged through the rain. "There's a house over there, and it looks empty!" He screamed over the sound of rain, and Dean nodded in agreement,

They ran up the steps of the old house, and leaned against the door. They were out of the rain, but their clothes were soaked, and it was windy. They both shivered and looked at each other. Without any words, they both agreed that they needed to get inside the house.

After a few minutes of knocking, they gave up. Dean pulled out a pocketknife and picked the lock. The door opened with a creak, and the smell of mothballs hit them hard. They were cold, and could care less about the smell, so they walked in.

"Do you think this place has electricity?" Dean wondered out loud.

"Let's see," Cas replied, flipping the light switch on. A dim light came on, but instead of helping, it made the house look creepier. There was old furniture all over the living room, and it was all covered in sheets. The house was cold and dusty; it appeared abandoned.

"Dude, look. They have a fireplace!" Dean observed.

"Can you start a fire? It's cold in here. I'll go look for some blankets." Cas suggested.

Dean placed the firewood in the fireplace and lighted it with his lighter. He sat in front of the fire. It wasn't really helping since his clothes were wet and cold. "Damn it!" Dean frowned, staring into the fire.

Cas came back a few minutes later with two blankets. "This is all I could find," he said apologetically, and passed Dean the softer blanket. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both trying to get warm.

"This isn't working," Cas whispered, his teeth chattering. "Our clothes will take too long to dry like this." He pulled the blanket off of himself and started taking off every layer of clothing he had. Dean watched, unable to look away. Cas mesmerized him, and the thought of seeing him naked excited Dean.

After he took off everything but his boxers, Cas sat back down and wrapped himself up in the blanket. "Much better," he sighed contently. "You should take off your clothes too Dean, I don't want you to get pneumonia or bronchitis."

Dean blushed but nodded. He quickly stepped out of his clothes and put them beside Castiel's pile right beside the fire. He then imitated Cas and wrapped himself up in his blanket. It was much better, but he was still cold. He shivered, groaning quietly. "It's so cold," he murmured.

Cas agreed. "I think it's because our bodied are all wet. Why don't we use one of the blankets to dry ourselves off, and the other to cover both of us."

_Oh Cas, how I love you. You're sending me mixed messages here, and I am so tempted to just kiss you already. _"Okay, and we can move one of these couches close to the fire and sit on it cause maybe we're so cold cause we're sitting on the cold, hard ground."

They both nodded in agreement and Cas began to dry himself off with his blanket while Dean moved one of the couches close to the fireplace. When he was content with where it was, he took the blanket from Cas and dried himself off with it. _Would it freak you out if you knew that this gives me butterflies? Seeing you only in boxers, drying myself off with something you used against your bare skin, snuggling in front of a fireplace with you, both almost completely naked. Would you avoid doing these things with me if you knew I was attracted to you?_

Dean tossed the wet blanket aside and they both snuggled under the soft blanket. The couch was relatively small, so their bare skin kept touching. Neither made an attempt to move, and pretty soon, they both started dozing off.

"Cas," Dean mumbled, barely able to keep his eyes open.

"Yeah?" Cas answered, his voice barely audible.

"You know how you said I could tell you anything?" Dean asked timidly, subtly snuggling against Cas.

"Uh huh," Cas whispered softly.

"Did you mean it?" Dean questioned, starting to drift off.

"Yeah, I did," Cas yawned, resting his head against Dean's as he fell asleep.

Dean woke up a few hours later, feeling confused. He didn't know where he was, or why he was half naked. He scratched his head, and it suddenly hit him. _I'm in the creepy house with Cas. _He turned to look at Cas. He was still sleeping, and he looked so peaceful. Rather than wake him, Dean snuggled up against him again and started reminiscing.

_ "Hi, I'm Dean Winchester," Dean sat next to the new kid, a small, dark haired boy, and offered him a juice box._

_ "Hi, I'm Castiel Angelus," the little boy replied, speaking with a lisp. _

_ Dean smiled. "I like your eyes, they're my favorite color. Why are you wearing a big sweater?"_

_ Cas pouted. "It is not a sweater. It's my daddy's trench coat. He gave it to me before he left and I always wear it."_

_ Dean looked at the coat curiously. "Your daddy is French? Or only the coat?"_

_ "Not French, trench," Cas whined, crossing his arms._

_ "I'm sorry friend, I heard wrong," Dean apologized, giving Cas a hug._

That was the day Dean Winchester met his best friend and the love of his life, but also the day he lost his mother and his childhood.

_"I'm scared Dean. What if I fall off and hurt myself?" Cas looked over at Dean nervously._

_ "Well, you have a helmet, and elbow and knee pads. This is how Bobby taught me, and I was only 7. You're almost 10, you can do it!" Dean proclaimed encouragingly, patting Castiel's back. "You'll be fine buddy."_

_ "I trust you," Cas admitted, and slowly started pedaling. He was doing fine until he realized he was doing it on his own and lost his balance. He landed on his hands and knees, and started crying._

_ A few older kids started laughing. "Haha, look at the big baby crying because he got an owie," they mocked._

_ "Don't listen to them Cas, it's okay," Dean reassured, helping his friend up. "I'll teach them not to mess with you, watch."_

_ Dean proceeded to unzip his pants and began urinating into a water gun. Once he was satisfied, he stopped and whispered, "Get ready to run when I say so."_

_ Cas nodded, and watched in disbelief as Dean walked up to the bullies and squirted them all with his pee. The bullies cursed and chased Dean. Dean was laughing loudly, and he did a 180 and ran to Cas. "Meet you at our secret place," he called out to Cas. Sticking his tongue out at the bullies and teasing them, he ran all through the neighborhood, making them look like idiots. They never bothered him or Cas again._

Dean shifted as Cas started waking up. He watched as Cas stretched and got up. "I have to pee, I'll be right back," he announced as he walked down the hall.

"You definitely put the 'ass' in Cas," Dean murmured, blushing. He felt like a creeper, so he turned away and continued remembering all the good times with Cas, trying to pinpoint when he realized he'd fallen in love.

_ "I can't believe we're actually getting away with this," Cas whispered incredulously. _

_ "Me either, but I've never had a sleepover before, and I figured that it's about time." Dean kept an eye out for anyone coming, but they were all alone in the woods._

_ "This is so cool. Did you pick this day on purpose, or did it just happen that way?" Cas tilted his head and stared at Dean with a curious expression on his face._

_ "It sorta just happened," Dean shrugged. "Wanna look at the stars? I love doing that."_

_ "Sure!" They got up and spread a blanket on the floor. They both lied down with their arms behind their heads and looked up at the sky._

_ "I live for moments like these," Cas confessed, not taking his eyes off of the stars._

_ "Me too," Dean admitted softly. "If we didn't have each other, I think I'd be dead by now."_

_ "Same here," Cas whispered. "I'm glad we're best friends, and I hope it stays like this forever." He reached out and touched Dean's hand. It was like a shock went through his whole body. He looked over at Cas, and Cas looked over at him, both smiling at each other. It was then, Dean now realized, that he'd fallen for the dark haired boy in the trench coat. At the mere age of 12, Dean Winchester fell hard for what seemed like an impossible love._

Ten minutes passed, and Cas still hadn't come back. Dean was starting to worry. It was such a big house, that Cas could have easily gotten lost. It was also very old, and could easily fall apart. What if Cas was lying somewhere with a wall collapsed on him or something. Dean couldn't live with himself if anything happened to Cas.

"Cas!" Dean called out, running through the entire house. "Where are you?"

He got no reply. He felt nauseous, and his chest felt tight. "CAS!" he screamed desperately, running up the stairs.

He ran through the hallways upstairs, calling out for Cas. He looked in every room, but still no Cas. He walked into a room with a full –length mirror against the wall. Cas wasn't in here. Just as he was about to give up, he looked into the mirror and saw Cas standing behind him.

"Cas!" Dean exclaimed, feeling relieved. He turned around to hug Cas, but noticed something was wrong. Cas was smiling widely, but the smile was twisted, evil. Dean slowly backed away until he hit the mirror. Cas started walking towards him, the smile never leaving his face.

"What's wrong Dean?" Cas asked in a voice that wasn't his own. This voice was deeper, rougher.

"N-nothing," Dean stammered, chills running down his spine. He was trapped with no way out, and this thing was getting closer by the second.

"Don't worry Dean. I won't hurt you," Cas smiled wider. Dean looked into those beautiful eyes, begging for it to be a bad joke, but all he saw was emptiness. Any trace of Cas was long gone.

"You're playing a joke on me, right Cas? You just couldn't resist the stereotypical haunted house and all that crap. Nice prank Cas, but enough is enough. Please stop, you're scaring me," Dean pleaded.

Cas laughed, a cold, frightening laugh. "What's the matter Deany Weenie? Are you scared? Well you should be, you little fucker. You know why? Because I'm gonna kill you, and you'll stay here with me, forever." Cas cackled madly, the sound chilling Dean to the bone. Dean felt his bladder emptying and felt his life flash before his eyes. He wouldn't even get to say his goodbyes to Sammy or Cas.

"Tsk, tsk Dean, what would your father say about this? He raised you to be a strong man, not to be a gay little baby. See, this is why I picked you and not Castiel. You'll make the perfect baby, and you'll be my baby for the rest of eternity. Doesn't that sound like fun?" The entity squealed and pinched Dean's cheek.

Dean was frightened beyond belief, but he was also angry, and if he was gonna die, he was gonna die fighting. "Fuck you, I'm not a baby!" He retaliated, pulling out his pocketknife.

"Dean? What's… what's going on?" Castiel asked, looking confused. "Why are you holding a knife? Why are you pointing it at me? Please don't kill me Dean. Whatever I did, I'm sorry."

Dean looked into those eyes and saw the man he'd fallen in love with looking back at him. He couldn't hurt Castiel. He'd rather die than hurt a hair on Castiel's head. "I'm so sorry Cas," Dean whispered, dropping the knife. He hugged Cas tightly, and for a moment, he actually believed things would be okay, that is, until he heard Cas laughing again.

"You are so gullible, Dean. Did you really think you'd get rid of me that easily?" The entity grabbed Dean by the throat and pinned him against the wall. "I was gonna kill you fast, but now I see that it'll be more fun if I mess with your head." It looked at Dean with pure hatred in its eyes.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Dean demanded, unable to hold back the tears.

"I am Naomi. My son was snatched from my arms and I was murdered in this very house. Do you know who murdered me, Dean Winchester? It was your grandfather, Samuel. I was practicing witchcraft, but not for evil, and he killed me. Now, you'll pay for his mistakes." The entity let Dean go, and he dropped to the flor with a thud.

All the lights suddenly went out, and they were left standing there in complete darkness. The house was beyond freezing, and every creak made Dean jump. Not only was this thing at an advantage because it was in its own territory, but it was also stronger, and Dean couldn't see where he was going anymore.

'Cas' had disappeared, but Dean knew the thing that was inside him was waiting for the right time to strike. He didn't know what to do. On one hand, he could stab it, but that would mean stabbing Cas, and that might just make the thing angrier. On the other, if he was going to die anyways, he could set the whole house on fire. At least then they would die together.

"Dean?" Sammy's voice called out, sounding extremely frightened.

"Sammy? Where are you? Why are you here?" Dean responded, extremely confused.

"I followed you and Cas here. What's wrong with Cas, why is he looking at me like that?" Sammy's voice got higher, and he screamed.

"SAMMY!" Dean followed the sound into another room, this one full of books. He saw Cas holding a heavy book and repeatedly hitting Sam. Suddenly, it turned to look at him, smiling knowingly.

"I know what you're thinking- how could Sam be here? Am I messing with your head, or is this really your little brother getting beat up by the love of your life? And if this is Sam, who will you choose?" Cas continued to beat the crap out of Sam.

"Dean," Sam called out weakly, "Save me, please. It hurts. I thought you said you'd never let anyone hurt me."

Was this real? The entity said it would mess with his head, and what better way to do so than by making him think Sam was here? He had to make up his mind, and quick.

"That's not Sam. Sam would never ditch school, especially not to follow Cas and I. Nice try bitch." Dean turned away from his brother, who was a bloody mess by now. It killed him to do so. A part of him did think it was Sammy, and he had to fight to keep himself from killing Cas for doing this.

"You picked Cas over me, Dean? How could you? I trusted you! I hate you, you little fag! No wonder Dad never loved you. I bet Mom killed herself because she got stuck with such a crappy son," Sam said harshly, his words stinging Dean.

Even though Dean knew it wasn't Sammy saying all those things, to hear them in Sam's voice killed him. Every insecurity he had was being used against him. This thing knew how to hurt him, and he felt like he was losing his mind.

Dean sat on the floor, his back against the wall. He was drained in every sense of the word. His body still hurt from earlier, he couldn't fight back. He was emotionally drained, Sam's words repeating in his head over and over. He was mentally drained, it hurt to think and he felt like he was going crazy. He was done fighting. He didn't deserve to be saved. He accepted his fate and sat there, waiting for the thing to get him.

"I see you've given up, Dean Winchester. Now, before I kill you, one last mindfuck. All these years, you've loved Castiel, but you've never told him. I bet you won't love him after you find out the truth," Cas grinned at him, looking eerie in the dark.

"What truth? Whatever you say won't change my feelings for Castiel," Dean insisted fiercely.

"Have you ever wondered why he seemed to lose his dad right around the same time you lost your mom? Isn't it too much of a coincidence that this new family moves into town, and shortly afterwards you both lose a parent? Think Dean, I know you're not stupid. _Think_!" The entity's voice echoed, the sound driving Dean nuts.

"So what? What does that have to do with me and Cas? Stop playing fucking games with me and kill me already," Dean shouted, scared of what he was about to learn.

"His father and your mother were lovers. Your father wasn't enough of a man for Mary. Surprise surprise, eh? Like father, like son. Anyways, your father found them cheating, and chased Castiel's father off. He vowed to kill him if he ever saw that man's face again. Then, he said he was going to divorce your mom, and take you guys away from her because she'd ran after Chuck instead of apologizing to John. That same night, she killed herself. Do you see now? Castiel has known the truth all along, and he kept it from you. You know what the funniest part is? He loves you too!" The entity chortled maniacally,. "He's loved you since before you loved him, but he's too scared to tell you because he thinks you'll hate him if you find out the truth!"

Those words gave Dean a burst of energy, a reason to fight. "Cas," Dean spoke softly, his voice quivering. "Listen to me. I know you're in there. You're stronger than this. Fight it Cas, fight it so we can finally be together."

The entity sneered. "Cas is long gone by now. He was too weak to fight me. You're wasting your time."

Dean crawled over to where Cas was, and got on his knees. He then took Cas's hand in his. "Cas, I'm here. I know the truth, but I'm still here. I don't hate you, not at all. On the contrary, I love you more. I know you did all this to protect me; you've always protected me. You're like my guardian angel. Now it's my turn to protect you." Dean squeezed Castiel's hand in his, and kissed it.

"Dean?" Cas called out, his voice faint.

"Yes, it's me Cas. It's Dean. I need you to fight this, okay? Fight it for us. I promise you, that when this is all over, we'll be together, and nothing will separate us. Fight it baby, I know you can do it. I believe in you." Dean hoisted himself up, his face so close to Cas's that their noses touched. "I love you Castiel. If I die tonight, I want your face to be the last thing I see, and your lips the last thing I touch." Dean leaned in and kissed Cas passionately, holding him close. If he was going to die, he was going to die happy in the arms of the man he loved.

The kiss seemed to go on forever, but suddenly. Cas pulled away. Dean knew this was the end. Cas couldn't fight it, and now, the entity had complete control.

"Dean, run!" Cas instructed, taking Dean's hand. Dean was confused but trusted this man with his life, so he did as he was told. They ran down through the house, hand in hand, and grabbed their clothes on the way out. They didn't stop running until they couldn't even see the house anymore. They stopped to catch their breath and put their clothes on, but silently agreed to keep running and talk later.

"What the hell happened back there?" Dean demanded, feeling both confused and relieved.

"I don't know. I remember getting up to use the restroom, then I remember you holding a knife up to me, and then when you told me all those nice things. It's all a bit of a blur," Cas scratched his head, trying hard to remember.

Dean sighed. "That was the worst experience of my life, " he admitted, snuggling up close to Cas. Cas put his arm around Dean's shoulder protectively.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I would give anything to trade places with you, or erase that memory from your head." They stared up at the stars, both lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Dean broke the silence. "I love this place. This should be our new place. Look at how pretty the wilderness is. It's so peaceful out here, and there's no one to bother us. I love everything about this place."

"You know what I love?" Cas asked, his voice soft.

"What?" Dean asked curiously.

"You!" Cas revealed, playfully tackling Dean to the ground and lightly kissing his lips. "I love you, Dean Winchester, and I know we'll be together forever."


End file.
